Exhibition Stadium
- David Hegler
- Jun 3
- 5 min read
Although it was oddly shaped, Toronto's Exhibition Stadium became a staple in the city's identity as an athletic epicenter. Not only did it host numerous Grey Cups, but it finally drew an MLB team up north.
The Conception
In 1879 the city of Toronto signed a long-term lease on 50 acres of a former military reserve just off the banks of Lake Ontario with the goal of developing the site for a number of agricultural and industrial exhibitions. One of the site's more permanent structures was a 5,000 seat fully enclosed grandstand that stood at the edge of a quarter mile oval racetrack. Exhibition Park hosted a slew of athletic competitions and community gatherings such as horse races, concerts and bicycle races.
In 1892, the city purchased a plot of land between Fort York and Exhibition Park to build a new 10,000 seat venue bearing the same name as its predecessor. That structure lasted until October 18, 1906 when it burned to the ground along with one of Toronto's major landmarks of the day, the Crystal Palace.
A new Exhibition Park was soon built in its place. Stretching 735 feet, fortified in concrete and steel and empowered with 16,400 covered seats, the new Exhibition Park looked like it could stand the test of time. Indeed, it drew massive crowds to the various concerts, livestock shows and track events that were held there and when auto racing came into the spotlight, Exhibition Park welcomed it with open arms as Canada's newest attraction brought the masses to their feet time and again. By the 1930s, the grandstand and track were renamed Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) as the grounds had become known as Canada's national fairgrounds.
On April 14, 1946, CNE Stadium burned down, leaving that plot of land vacant for three years. A new CNE Stadium was erected just in time for spring 1949 for $4 million. Seating 20,600, the structure was massive in scale. The new stadium featured two large restaurants, five team dressing rooms and a large exhibition hall for private events.
Auto racing was all the rage in CNE Stadium's first decade. In 1952 alone, it hosted 44 races, drawing an impressive 365,000 spectators. In July 1958, CNE Stadium hosted the second of only two NASCAR Grand National races ever held in Canada. Near the back of the pack was Richard Petty who was driving the first professional race of his long career. By the end of the decade, the CFL took an interest in the stadium.
The Glory Years
Beginning in 1959, the CFL's Toronto Argonauts moved from uptown in Varsity Stadium to play at CNE Stadium. Later that same year, CNE Stadium hosted its first Grey Cup, providing the backdrop for future Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant's Winnipeg Blue Bombers as they beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that year and again in both 1961 and 1962 on the shores of Lake Ontario. In addition to those first three years, CNE Stadium hosted the Grey Cup in 1964, 1965 (where the Tiger-Cats finally won a title after losing in their previous four attempts), 1968, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1978 and 1980.
In 1982, the Argonauts hosted the Grey Cup, losing to future Houston Oiler legend Warren Moon's Edmonton Eskimos 32-16. It was the last time that CNE Stadium would ever host Canada's Super Bowl.
If anything, the Grey Cup highlighted CNE Stadium's faults. The 1962 title game had to be delayed by a day due to heavy fog. A regular gamut of rain and snow through much of the winter and constant use during the summer often turned the field into a muddy quagmire. It wasn't until the CFL threatened to move the Grey Cup elsewhere that CNE's operators installed artificial turf in 1972. Tragically, Argonauts and future Redskins' star quarterback Joe Theismann broke his leg in the first game on the new surface.
While the Argonauts and the NHL's Maple Leafs were staples in the community, Toronto was always looking to expand its footprint in the sports world. They almost got a World Football League team in 1974, but the "Northmen" moved to Memphis before their first practice. Toronto' Labatt Breweries was a signature away from luring the San Francisco Giants in 1976, but Bob Lurie swooped in to save the day for the City by the Bay.
Having forked over $17.8 million to remove the south grandstand, add a single tier L-shaped seating area in the west end to sit 28,000 around the diamond all to attract an MLB team, Toronto feared that all of their hard work was for naught.
However, MLB recognized Toronto's intense desire to have a baseball team of its own and awarded the city one in 1977 with Labatt getting the new club for a $7 million expansion fee. The Toronto Blue Jays began their first season on April 7, 1977. Despite the weather being a frigid 32 degrees, the crowd didn't care as more than 44, 600 packed the newly-named Exhibition Stadium's stands.
White Sox Jorge Orta drove in Ralph Garcia on a sacrifice fly off of Bill Singer to score the game's first run at the top of the first. Richie Fisk extended the lead to 2-0 in the next at-bat by blasting a home run. The Blue Jays managed to claw their way back and earn a memorable 9-5 victory. They ultimately finished the year 54-107.
With both left and right field stopping at 330 feet and center field only going as far as 400 feet, CNE Stadium was a friendly ballpark to hitters. The field was also uneven. According to Toronto catcher Bob Brenly "If you stood at home plate you could only see the center fielder from the knees up".
The grandstand was never suitable for baseball, for although it was L-shaped, it didn't curve correctly, causing many fans to crane their necks almost 90 degrees to watch the action on the diamond. To make the turnstiles even lonelier, since Ontario didn't allow any sale of alcohol in sports venues until 1982, Exhibition Stadium was the last MLB stadium to remain dry.
Still, despite its quirks, CNE Stadium provided several memorable moments as a baseball venue. Beginning in 1978, Exhibition Stadium alternated with Montreal's Olympic Stadium in hosting the Pearson Cup, a midseason exhibition series between the Blue Jays and Expos. On August 4, 1983, Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield drew the ire of the crowd when he accidentally killed a seagull on an errant warmup pass in the 5th inning.
After the game, he was arrested for causing unnecessary suffering of an animal. The charges were dropped the next day. A streaker on Opening Day 1984 began a three year "tradition" at Exhibition Stadium. For the next two Opening Days, clothed fans would rush the field, causing the game to be paused.
The Blue Jays were never dominant at Exhibition Stadium, but they did have one memorable season. In 1985, they made it all the way to the ALCS where they lost to the eventual champion Kansas City Royals in seven games. It was the old ballpark's last great moment.
The End of an Era
The Argonauts were the first to go. After losing 27-11 in the first round of the playoffs to Winnipeg in front of 26,091 on November 20, 1988, the CFL officially moved to the recently opened Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays provided Exhibition Stadium with one last great memory on May 28, 1989 when George Bell blasted a walk0ff home run in the 10th inning to beat the White Sox 7-5 un front of 46, 120. They immediately moved into Rogers Centre where they finished the year 89-73 before losing to the Oakland A's in the ALCS. Having always been a hitter-friendly ballpark, Exhibition Stadium never did have a no-hitter.
Exhibition Stadium still stuck around for most of the next decade, biding its time with motor racing and the occasional national cricket match between Pakistan and India. The inaugural Molson Indy (the Grand Prix of Toronto) began and ended Exhibition Stadium's track before looping around Exhibition Place in 1986. Today, the Argonauts play in the stadium where Exhibition Stadium once stood, BMO Field.
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